Circumnavigate Manhattan Island

[indytrailmike]

I'm thinking about the above topic. I'm driving a 19' bow rider. Any suggestions? I'd be coming from Long Island

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[Gary B]

Where on LI will you be coming from?
if you need fuel before you head down the east river you can catch it in City Island by the City Island bridge or in Port Washington at Brewer Capri West. If you need fuel once you are down near the Statue of Liberty there is fuel at Liberty Landing.
If you are traveling from the western LI sound be very careful by stepping stones light house which is between port Washington and little neck bay. Look at the chart. Do not cut between the light house and land even though it looks like you can.
The trip down to Manhattan from the Throgs Neck bridge is very well marked but be careful of the commercial traffic such as barges. People will tell you how bad Hell Gate is but I have been through there many times and it can get rough but it's over in 5 minutes. The real rough water can be off the bottom of Manhattan and the Hudson River depending on the wind & tide and the commercial traffic. It can also be relatively calm.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the ride

 

[Fred]

What you propose is do able but please be careful dealing with large boat traffic. A 19 foot bow rider has low freeboard and can be swamped quite easily. Hope your boat is self bailing. It certainly helps that you are outboard powered.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Am I missing something here?

When someone talks about making a trip like this, if I'm not familiar with the area I go to Google Earth, look up the area then map it out using their measuring tool. I did this with Manhattan Island because I've never been to NYC before and was surprised to find out it's only 25 miles around the island.

So, am I missing something? In Indy's 195SPX this trip should not be as difficult as some of you are making it out to be? That boat should have no problem making a 25 mile trip on a tank of fuel. Now I admit that I've never been to NYC, but as I see it the biggest problem is not going to be gas, but rough water either caused by weather or waves from commercial traffic or large pleasure craft. Again, am I missing something? I grew up on Lake Huron (Saginaw Bay more specifically) and we often boated in 16'-19' boats in 3' or higher waves.

The biggest issue is keeping a good watch for waves, slowing down and trimming up to cross them, then getting back up to speed. I'd make sure everyone either wore their PFD or had it real handy, take lots of food, no booze, and wear sunscreen. And be sure to take your camera and take lots of photos because we are going to want you to share your trip with us.

Three years ago we took our 13' Boston Whaler up to Lake Pend d'Orielle in northern Idaho. We made the trip from Bayview at the south end to Sand Point at the north end, a distance of 31 miles one way. I had checked the weather and knew it was going to be good, we packed plenty of food and water, wore our inflatable PFD's and had a great time. The water was fairly calm (1' chop at most) the winds calm, the sun warm and the trip a real memory maker.

Indy, here's a link to a thread I did about that trip in Idaho if you're interested.
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/67854-Does-it-get-any-better?highlight=Bayview

 

[Fred]

Year's ago I had a 19 foot bow rider. One day while comfortably cruising and enjoying the sites a 40 foot Sea Ray driven by some oblivious fool passed me and cut in front of me putting about 100 gallons of water in my lap. It took what seemed like an hour for my single bilge pump to clear the water.
I said to myself, someday I'm going to get me one of those

 

[JimT]

Am I missing something here?

When someone talks about making a trip like this, if I'm not familiar with the area I go to Google Earth, look up the area then map it out using their measuring tool. I did this with Manhattan Island because I've never been to NYC before and was surprised to find out it's only 25 miles around the island.

So, am I missing something? In Indy's 195SPX this trip should not be as difficult as some of you are making it out to be? That boat should have no problem making a 25 mile trip on a tank of fuel. Now I admit that I've never been to NYC, but as I see it the biggest problem is not going to be gas, but rough water either caused by weather or waves from commercial traffic or large pleasure craft. Again, am I missing something? I grew up on Lake Huron (Saginaw Bay more specifically) and we often boated in 16'-19' boats in 3' or higher waves.

The biggest issue is keeping a good watch for waves, slowing down and trimming up to cross them, then getting back up to speed. I'd make sure everyone either wore their PFD or had it real handy, take lots of food, no booze, and wear sunscreen. And be sure to take your camera and take lots of photos because we are going to want you to share your trip with us.

Three years ago we took our 13' Boston Whaler up to Lake Pend d'Orielle in northern Idaho. We made the trip from Bayview at the south end to Sand Point at the north end, a distance of 31 miles one way. I had checked the weather and knew it was going to be good, we packed plenty of food and water, wore our inflatable PFD's and had a great time. The water was fairly calm (1' chop at most) the winds calm, the sun warm and the trip a real memory maker.

Indy, here's a link to a thread I did about that trip in Idaho if you're interested.
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/67854-Does-it-get-any-better?highlight=Bayview

The issue with fuel is not the distance around Manhattan but where the OP will be starting from on Long Island. Its called LONG Island for a reason.

 

[indytrailmike]

The issue with fuel is not the distance around Manhattan but where the OP will be starting from on Long Island. Its called LONG Island for a reason.

I'm docked in Westhampton. Looking for overnight marina in Queens or Brooklyn too

Year's ago I had a 19 foot bow rider. One day while comfortably cruising and enjoying the sites a 40 foot Sea Ray driven by some oblivious fool passed me and cut in front of me putting about 100 gallons of water in my lap. It took what seemed like an hour for my single bilge pump to clear the water.
I said to myself, someday I'm going to get me one of those

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[mobocracy]

Year's ago I had a 19 foot bow rider. One day while comfortably cruising and enjoying the sites a 40 foot Sea Ray driven by some oblivious fool passed me and cut in front of me putting about 100 gallons of water in my lap. It took what seemed like an hour for my single bilge pump to clear the water.
I said to myself, someday I'm going to get me one of those 

Our lake gets super busy in the summer and this happened to us our first year with the boat. I'd only say it was 10-20 gallons that came over the bow, but my wife and her friend where up front and got soaked.

I quickly learned that it made sense in rough conditions to run at fast displacement speed, which kept the bow up high enough to keep big waves from swamping the bow.

 

[ArtWallach]

That is a quite ambitious / dangerous trip in a 19' bow rider. I wouldn't do it. Are you talking about being in the ocean going around Coney Island, under the Verrazano Bridge and past lower Manhattan. Circle Manhattan and then back around Coney Island or are you going up and down the LI Sound? I've done that trip and I've seen 40' boats get beat up making that trip. I would pick my weather window very carefully. There is a ton of commercial traffic to deal with as well. Take a trip from West Hampton inland to Nassau County (Freeport Port - Nautical mile) See how that goes.

 

[JVM225]

I've been in and around NY Harbor several times in my old boat which was a 300 Sundancer. I've seen several smaller boats there and remember thinking how scary it was just looking at them. The traffic and wakes alone will be a challenge in a boat that size.
My kids have an 18' bow rider and I don't think I'd want to be on that boat in NY Harbor in anything other than ideal conditions.
If you really want to do it then I recommend picking a really calm day and doing it early in the morning before there is a lot of river traffic. It would also probably be a good idea to time the Hell Gate/East River for slack tide.
I've seen kayakers and small club sail boats in there so it's doable in your boat for sure in the right conditions, experience level, and if you really take care to avoid wakes. But I think I would re-consider and maybe wait to do it in something a little bit bigger unless you are really sure of you abilities.
Also, there is a Power Squadron in the area. You may want to see if you can contact them for advice and guidance.

 

[1956olds]

Sounds like a good trip for a weekend regatta.Saftey in numbers and all that.

 

[Black Valkyrie]

Ditto on the swamping thing. Learned this the hard way with our old 17' searay!

 

[skunkman]

As others have said, you have to consider your skill and experience AND the possible lack of skill, experience and/or etiquette of others. This weekend I was heading North on the intra-coastal - a sailboat was approaching me heading south. I slowed down as we closed in on each other and a 40+ foot boat heading south at probable WOT threaded the space between us. My 33 ft boat was rocked hard and the sailboat was rocking to the point that someone could have been cast overboard. Unfortunately there are too many idiots out there. Just be careful and very vigilant.

 

[ArtWallach]

Also, there is a Power Squadron in the area. You may want to see if you can contact them for advice and guidance.

I am the 2017 Commander for the Great South Bay Power Squadron. I will be happy to put you in touch with a Power Squadron in your area. Just let me know you are interested.

 

[Richd]

I am the 2017 Commander for the Great South Bay Power Squadron. I will be happy to put you in touch with a Power Squadron in your area. Just let me know you are interested.

Just wondering if you knew Don Hughs from Passaic NJ He was my neighbor and died a few years back but was a Comandant or something in the Coast Guard, I know he was on Governors Island at the time.

 

[Joel_MD]

Circumnavigating Manhattan sounds like an adventuresome trip in a 19' boat. Last July I bought my boat on Manhasset Bay on Long Island, and brought it down the East River on a weekday morning, with a stop at Liberty Landing marina in New Jersey for fuel (expensive, but less than NY prices) before heading south. I hit Hell Gate about 30 minutes after slack tide; the slight ebb pushed us along slightly and it was a non-issue. Didn't see much boat traffic, commercial or otherwise, until passing the Brooklyn Bridge. Encountered a few high speed ferries and other commercial boats in the area near the southern tip of Manhattan, but they are predictable and it's easy to stay out of their way if you're in a powerboat. You can always contact the captain of a commercial ship on Ch 13 if you want to ask his intentions or let him know you're there.

Here's a webpage that may be helpful in planning your cruise: http://iboatnyharbor.com/Boat handling.htm

 

[rondds]

I took my 19' Regal around from Brooklyn to NY Harbor once...just once. It was an absolute washing machine and we didn't dare try getting up on plane. Just wanted to get a little closer to the Statue of Liberty but had to turn back - we were getting battered pretty good.

 

[In Two Deep]

That is a quite ambitious / dangerous trip in a 19' bow rider. I wouldn't do it. Are you talking about being in the ocean going around Coney Island, under the Verrazano Bridge and past lower Manhattan. Circle Manhattan and then back around Coney Island or are you going up and down the LI Sound? I've done that trip and I've seen 40' boats get beat up making that trip. I would pick my weather window very carefully. There is a ton of commercial traffic to deal with as well. Take a trip from West Hampton inland to Nassau County (Freeport Port - Nautical mile) See how that goes.

I have to agree. This is an ambitious and potentially dangerous trip for a 19' bow rider. Even on calm days, conditions can very a lot between Westhampton and NYC. I have left my port on a perfectly sunny day only to encounter fog or rain an hour or so into the trip. Not a trip I want to make without radar.